Ruby Among Us
by: Tina Ann Forkner
Published by: Waterbrook Press (July 15 release)
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Reviewed by Michelle Kerns
“Peel back the layers of any person,” Kitty DiCamillo tells her granddaughter Lucy in Tina Ann Forkner’s Ruby Among Us, “and you’ll find pain and suffering well-hidden in their soul.” Ruby Among Us, Forkner’s stunning debut novel, is all about hidden suffering—and the love and friendship that can bring redemption and healing.
Lucy DiCamillo is a sheltered young woman living alone with her grandmother, Kitty. Kitty insulates Lucy not only from the outside world, but also from knowing about her own past. Lucy knows next to nothing about the DiCamillo family, her own father, her grandfather, and even her mother, Ruby, who tragically died when Lucy was eight. Lucy is haunted by her inability to remember her mother. She cannot understand why, despite repeated pleadings, Kitty resists all of Lucy’s attempts to coax her into relating what has caused her to become so isolated.
As Lucy grows into a beautiful young woman with a bright future ahead of her, Kitty finally relents. What Lucy learns is heartbreakingly sad—a tale of gnawing, relentless guilt; hopelessness; unrequited love; and the aching beauty of precious things gone forever. However, with faith and patience, Lucy and Kitty find some lost things can be still be found—and have been there all along.
In Ruby Among Us, Forkner creates characters of such depth of emotion and human frailty, it is difficult to believe they aren’t flesh and blood. Forkner uses a highly effective narrative technique to heighten the feeling of closeness the reader feels with the characters: each section of the book is told through the eyes and memories of either Kitty, Lucy, or Matt, a friend Ruby had been close to. Forkner’s writing is effortless, and you flow through each facet, growing closer to the heart of the story with each chapter.
Ruby Among Us would be an astoundingly good novel for a seasoned writer; for a debut novel, it’s a triumph.
Ruby Among Us is a gem of a novel—it feeds the intelligent mind while simultaneously nourishing the soul.
Armchair Interviews says: Look for great things from this stunning new author, Tina Ann Forkner.
Author’s Web site: http://TinaAnnForkner.com
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